Birdsville is a small town located on land traditionally owned by the Wangkanguru People, in the Channel Country of Central West Queensland, Australia. It is 1,590 kilometres (990 mi) west of the state capital, Brisbane, and 720 kilometres (450 mi) south of the city of Mount Isa. Birdsville is on the edge of the Simpson Desert, approximately 174 km east of Poeppel Corner and the climate is very arid. At the 2011 census, Birdsville had a population of 295,[2] but the current population is about 100.

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Birdsville was known as Diamantina Crossing from 1881.[3] There are a number of different theories as to the origin of the name. One is that the name derives from the prolific bird life in the district.[4] The other is that a store was established by Percy Bird and George Field and they called it Birdfield. However, in 1882, G. and R. Wills, of Adelaide, misaddressed a consignment of goods as going to Birdsville and that name stuck.[5] Another is that a man named Burt established a store and called it Burtsville which corrupted to Birdsville.[6] Whatever its origin, by 1882, the name Birdsville was in common use[7] and was formalised at the proclamation of town in 1887.

Birdsville was located at the border of South Australia and Queensland to collect tolls from the droves of cattle being moved interstate.

Many of Australia's pioneering European explorers travelled through the Birdsville district well before the town was gazetted. Monuments to acknowledge the feats of Captain Charles Sturt, Burke & Wills, Cecil Madigan and others are located throughout the town.

Birdsville had a population of over 300 at the turn of the twentieth century. It had three hotels, a cordial factory, blacksmith store, market gardens, police and customs facilities but after Federation in 1901, the tolls were abolished and the town fell into decline [9] to about 50 people throughout the 1950s. Livestock trade kept the region alive and in recent times tourism has joined cattle as the major industry in the area.

When proclaimed the town had three hotels, two stores, a customs house for interstate trade, a police station and a large collection of commercial buildings but in 2007 there was just one hotel serving canned or bottled beer, library, visitor information centre, museum and a hospital.[16] Today Birdsville is a popular tourist destination with many people using it as a stopping point across the Simpson Desert.

It is also known for the annual Birdsville Races, which are held in September each year in aid of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. The town's tiny population is augmented by between 7000 to 9000 people for the two-day event, and hundreds of aircraft fill the town's 1,700 metres (1,859 yd) airstrip.[17] In 2010 the races were cancelled for the first time in the event's history due to rain. There are many other events, such as "The Big Red Run" and the "Big Red Bash", held at Birdsville throughout the winter tourist season.

Birdsville also has an 80 kW geothermal power station, the only one of its type in Australia.[18] Water is extracted from an 80-year-old bore on the Great Artesian Basin at 98 °C and is used to heat the operating fluid isopentane in a Rankine Cycle engine. The geothermal plant produces around one third of the town's electricity. The water (once cooled) is also the source of the town's drinking water.[19]

Birdsville boasts a state primary school (with a current enrollment of three children), a police station manned by one officer and a hospital staffed by one nurse.

Birdsville has an arid climate with on average only 22 days of rain in a year. Summers are extremely hot and dry, with winters being mild to warm. The median annual rainfall at Birdsville is 133 mm.[22] The actual amount of rain which falls is highly variable, for example, in 1914 just 14 mm was recorded while 659 mm fell in 1917. Dust storms are most likely during periods of strong wind which typically occur in spring.[22] Birdsville has recorded the hottest confirmed temperature in the state of Queensland, with 49.5 °C (121.1 °F) having been recorded on more than one occasion.

Birdsville disease is an illness observed in horses, caused by eating the native plant Birdsville indigo (Indigofera linnaei) which contain natural toxins including the neurotoxin 3 nitropropionic acid (3-NPA). The affected horses exhibit weakness and lack of coordination; it can be fatal. It does not appear to affect cattle.[24] Although it is not unique to Birdsville, the condition was first observed in the Birdsville district in May 1886.[25] While there were many theories about the cause of the disease including plants, worms and sunstroke, it was not until 1950 that researchers identified the precise cause.[26] Mildly affected horses can recover with a regime of drenching with gelatine and feeding a diet high in arginine but euthanasia is recommended for severely affected horses. As there is no cure, preventing horses from grazing on indigo is recommended.[24]